


5 Times Peter Needed Tony Stark

by hopelesslywanderlust



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Anxiety, Hurt/Comfort, I'll probably add tags later, Mentions of underage drinking, PTSD, Peter Needs a Hug, Suicide, Tooth decaying Fluff, anxiety attack, thankfully stark industries is now offering hugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2018-12-30 17:19:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12113508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopelesslywanderlust/pseuds/hopelesslywanderlust
Summary: Even Super-heroes Need a Hand Sometimes.





	1. The First Time

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, y'all! It is I, the Queen of the Coma, back again with another MCU story! This time a Peter & Tony fic! Finally! Lol
> 
> I love the dynamic between these two, and I really hope they aren't very OOC.
> 
> I don't have a beta for these stories, so I take full credit for any mistakes you may find. Feel free to point them out to me, and I'll do my best to edit them out!
> 
> Anxiety attack trigger warning :)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Xx

A loud crack sounded overhead, seconds before large pieces of rubble began raining down all around. Peter was stuck. Trapped. Being crushed by the weight of the concrete that had fallen. With every panicked breath he took, he could feel the tightness in his chest increasing. He was going to die here. He was barely fifteen, he had his whole life ahead of him, yet here he would die. What would May say? And Tony? Thinking about them, his panic only worsened. 

And then, he woke up, sitting bolt upright in his bed, gasping for precious breath. Eyes frantically scanning the room, Peter took in his surrounds. He was at home, in his bedroom, safe. He could listen to May’s gentle, even breathing from down the hall with his enhanced hearing. Gradually, he began to calm down. 

Pushing off his weighty comforter, the heaviness felt suffocating in its own right, he stood from the bed. Running a shaky hand through his sweat-soaked hair, Peter took in the time; 3:44am. Well, at least he had managed an hour more than the previous night.

Since Homecoming, the nightmares had only gotten worse. If anything, they were becoming more frequent and increasingly real. The boy was lucky if he slept a few hours each night before being woken by the pleasant feeling of having his lungs crushed. Of course, the lack of sleep was becoming noticeable. Peter was sure May had seen the dark circles under his eyes, or had realized he was regularly zoning out. But if she had noticed, she hadn't said anything. However, Ned certainly had. His friend had not stopped pestering him about what was going on with him lately, but Peter just brushed it off as being “internship stuff”. He had said he was staying up really late working on the suit with Mr. Stark in the lab. This had turned Ned’s worry into a barrage of questions about said “internship”.

The truth was that Peter hadn't heard from Stark since he had turned down the man’s offer to join the Avengers. That had been weeks ago, but Peter knew Tony was a busy guy. Besides, staying “close to the ground”, the web-slinging vigilante hadn't run into any extraordinarily concerning grand-theft bicycles recently. Certainly nothing that would be on Iron Man’s radar.

The only time Peter truly felt at ease was when he was stopping New York’s criminals from causing mayhem as Spider-man. Which was why, after this most recent, particularly disturbing nightmare, the brunette found himself stumbling around his pitch-black bedroom, fumbling to pull on the suit. After having seemingly knocked over every item on his desk, he finally pulled on the mask to be greeted by a pleasant, “Hello, Peter.”

“Uh, hey, Karen.” He whispered in reply, trying to push his window open as silently as possible. The last thing he needed was for Aunt May to find him sneaking out to patrol during the wee hours of the morning. Stepping out onto the fire escape, the brisk late-November air instantly improved his anxious state. “So, Karen, what's going on in Queens?”

There was a momentary pause as the AI scouted the city digitally for trouble. “It appears there is a mugging in progress in Astoria. Would you like me to find the shortest route?” the disembodied female voice inquired.

Peter replied with a quick, “Please and thank you.” before shooting a web to the lamppost across the street from his building. 

Swinging through the chilly autumn air would've been a lot less pleasant had Mr. Stark not built a heater into the lining of his suit. Speaking of whom… “Incoming call from Tony Stark.”

“WHAT?! Decline call.” What was Mr. Stark doing calling Peter so late at night? But, what if it was some type of emergency mission with the Avengers?

“Manual override. Connecting.” Karen said in a very uncharacteristic robotic voice. 

Tony’s face appeared in his peripherals as Peter continued to glide through New York’s streets.  
“Oh, hey kid. What are you doing?” the older man asked, as though he probably didn't have Spider-man’s vitals, GPS location, blood-type, and second-cousin’s middle name splayed out before him on a screen.

The boy felt the panic creeping back into the corners of his mind. “What - Uh - What do you mean ‘what am I doing?’” he managed to get out before stumbling on to the nearest rooftop. He felt he was about to be in a lot of trouble, NYPD could handle one teeny-tiny mugging. 

“I mean, what is friendly, neighborhood Spider-man doing out of bed at this ungodly hour? More importantly, what is he doing in the suit, on patrol?” Stark’s voice sounded too unnervingly calm. 

All Peter could think about was having the suit taken away from him again. His heart rate increased, along with his breathing as the panic worsened, but he tried to play it cool. So, he turned the questioning on his mentor, “What're you doing awake, Mr. Stark?” Smooth, very smooth.

When the man answered, his voice sounded ever so slightly louder, and a bit more annoyed. “I'm an adult. My aunt doesn't tuck me in and read me a bedtime story every night. Now, I think I asked you a question, Pete. What are you doing in the suit?”

“Well,” the masked vigilante started, nervously reaching up to rub the back of his neck, “I -um- well, I-I just thought I would get out for some fresh a-air.”

“Mhm,” Tony sounded completely unconvinced, “some fresh air, is it? At almost 4am?”

Peter was silent, what could he tell him? ‘I’ve been getting these debilitating nightmares, and haven’t properly slept in weeks, but patrolling is the only thing that makes me feel okay?’ He didn’t want to be seen as a child. Only little kids are afraid of bad dreams, and Peter was not some dumb little kid. He really wished Mr. Stark hadn’t called.

“Uh, hello? Earth to wall-crawler? Kid? I know you can hear me.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, Sorry, Mr. Stark,” answered the teen, attempting to blink his thoughts away.

Before he could say anything more, he was interrupted by a sort of whirring sound behind him, then the unmistakable clink of metal on the concrete roof. He turned to be met with MK 47 staring back at him. Shit.

Tony disengaged the suit, stepping towards the masked vigilante and gesturing, “Come on, kid. Off with the mask.”

Peter reluctantly pulled the mask off and ran a hand through his hair. “Mr. Stark, you really didn’t have to come all the way down here.”

“Oh, I didn’t?” the older man drawled out sarcastically, pacing before the boy and pinching the bridge of his nose in a characteristic Tony Stark manner, “Because the last time I thought something was no big deal and I didn’t have to worry, you crashed a plane on Coney Island. Oh, and the first time I knew you were lying to me, you almost sank the SS Staten Island. So, here I am.” Stopping to stand in front of Peter, he looked the teen in the eyes, “Now, why are you lying to me again? By the way, you are an awful liar.”

Peter kicked at something invisible with his foot, breaking his eye contact with Stark to stare at the ground. He could not take the man’s scrutinizing gaze. In his already anxious state, Peter could feel the panic bubbling to the surface. He ran a shaky hand through his hair. He couldn’t lie to Mr. Stark, but he couldn’t tell him the truth either. Tony would surely take the suit away again if he told him the truth. Little kids who couldn’t handle their own nightmares certainly weren’t man enough to handle the nightmares society created on a nightly basis. 

Peter was only pulled from his thoughts when a steady hand caught him on the shoulder. 

“Peter, breath,” the teen looked up that his mentor’s face had turned from one of agitation to one full of concern. 

Tony waited for the kid’s breathing to even out again before asking, “How long has this been going on?”

“H-how long has what been going on?” Peter asked, naively. 

“These attacks, Peter. When did you start having them?” his voice was calm and steady, as to not trigger the teen again.  
If anyone could recognize the signs of an anxiety attack, it was Tony Stark. He has certainly lived through a fair few of his own. 

 

Peter was a little reluctant to answer. Would Tony take the suit away because of this? What if he wasn’t mentally stable enough to continue as Spider-man? He didn’t think he was going crazy, but was he? It didn’t matter what he thought anyway, really. His fate, and the fate of Spider-man, rested solely in the hands of the man before him. 

“Kid?”

A calm voice once again pulled him from his thoughts. 

“Please don’t take the suit, Mr. Stark.” Peter wasn’t sure why he’d said that.

Tony’s expression molted into one of confusion, “What? Why would I take the suit?”

All of a sudden tears were streaking down Peter’s face, his whole body shaking. “Don’t take the suit, M-Mr. Stark! I can handle it, I swear I can! I-I’m not usually like this, it’s just since h-homecoming -” He broke off as he felt his knees hit the hard ground, his breathing becoming more shallow. He did not want to see Mr. Stark to see this, but right now he was struggling to think of anything but that night. He felt like he was suffocating under the rubble again as the tightness in his chest increased. Images of the building collapsing flashed behind his eyelids. 

Suddenly, he became aware of someone speaking in his ear, calling him out of his own mind, “-eter, c’mon. Just breath for me, kiddo.” He didn't know how long he had been zoned out in his panic, but he also became aware of a pair of strong arms embracing him, as he attempted to get his breathing under control.

It took a few minutes, but he was coming down. 

“That’s it, kiddo.”

He could hear Mr. Stark’s soothing voice before he opened his eyes to see the billionaire kneeling in front of him, concern written all over his face. Tony still had a firm hold on Peter’s shoulders, an attempt to ground him to reality. 

The two stayed like that for what felt like an eternity to Peter as a somewhat awkward silence grew between them, causing him to go red. 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Stark,” he blurted out, trying to break the silence and also make up for what had just happened.

“No. Don’t apologize, kid. I’m the one who should be sorry, I wasn’t there. I took the suit.”

Peter shook his head, “N-no, Mr. Stark, you -”

Tony cut him off, “Stop. I’m the one apologizing now, and if you need someone to talk to because I screwed up, I’ll be happy to listen, Peter. But this,” he gestured to the boy in his clammy, sleep-deprived state, “cannot continue. You need to talk to someone. If it’s not me, then your aunt, or your ‘guy-in-the-chair’. I’ll let you in on a little insider super-hero secret, this part of the job doesn’t get any easier, so you need a good support system.”

Peter didn't know how to reply to that.

 

The older man got to his feet before helping Peter up, “So, after I take you home tonight,” he handed the young crime-fighter the mask he had dropped some time during his attack, “I’ll expect to see you upstate tomorrow, or today rather, around five. I’ll send a car to pick you up after school. Don’t be late, Spider-man.”

And that was the first time Peter realized he needed Tony Stark.


	2. "What? I don't need that!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, all!  
> I'm back with another chapter, a lot sooner than I had expected, might I add lol
> 
> This one is a lot less tense than the last one, but I hope you'll enjoy it just the same
> 
> So, without further ado....

Peter hurried out the front doors of Midtown high seconds after the final bell rang out. He took the steps two at a time, then practically ran towards the black Audi parked at the curb. Rapping his knuckles against the front passenger’s side window, he was surprised when a pair of sunglass clad eyes appeared from behind the cracked window.

“Mr. Stark?” he asked before glancing back over his shoulder, tentatively watching for someone.

“Uh, yeah, kid. Come on, get in, we don't have all day,” Tony drawled out impatiently, peering at the teen over his signature glasses.

“Just a sec!” Peter exclaimed, half-jogging towards a girl who had just exited the school. “Uh, hey, Michelle!” 

The girl, Michelle, looked up from her copy of The Bell Jar at the sound of her name. Peter came to a halt before her, pulling a pencil from his back pocket, “I, uh, f-forgot to return this during history,” the boy stammered out seemingly at the speed of light before running a nervous hand through his hair.

Michelle just stared at him for a second, before Peter was shoving the writing utensil into her hand and blurting out, “S-so, a-anyway, there it is! Thanks again! Bye!” He turned on his heel, jogging back to the car. Tony could see the tips of the kid’s ears turning red before he even reached the car. 

Peter threw open the back door and quickly slid inside, “Happy, drive!”

Happy peered into the rear view mirror, whilst grudgingly putting the car in drive, to look at the nervous teenager, then said dryly, “I only take orders from these two, kid,” gesturing to Tony in the passenger’s seat and Pepper Potts, who Peter was only just realizing was seated next to him.

“Mrs- Ms. Potts!” the boy said, looking at the woman with wide eyes.

Pepper just smiled genuinely at his surprise, “it's nice to see you again, Peter.”

Before he could say anything else, Tony turned in his seat to look at Peter with an amused as expression.

“Kid, don't hurt yourself. Talking to two women in one day, it might fry your little, pre-pubescent brain.”

Pepper cast her fiancé a warning look as Peter turned a deeper shade of red and sunk further into the seat. Tony’s smirk only got larger as he winked at Pepper before facing forward again.

An awkward silence fell over the vehicle, broken only by Happy’s incessant honking at a taxi that cut him off in traffic.

Peter cleared his throat, “So, um, Mr. Stark, Ms. Potts, what -uh - what're you guys doing here? Happy usually just picks me up on Fridays.”

“What? Are you not thrilled to see us, kid?” Tony flipped the sunvisor mirror open to look at the boy he was speaking to.

The woman seated next to him laughed indignantly, locking her phone and placing it in her lap. She turned to face Peter. “I'm sorry about him. We’re hoping that someday he'll show signs of maturing.”

“Um, hurtful.” the man in front interrupted. Happy chuckled, earring a playfully dirty look from his ‘boss’.

With a roll of her eyes, Pepper continued, “We were in the city ring shopping, so Tony thought it would be lovely if we surprised you.”

“I just didn't want to take a taxi upstate!” Mr. Stark called from the front seat, but Peter was touched the older man would even think about surprising him. 

There was a lull in the conversation where the boy didn't know what to say. The silence was becoming awkward again.

“Did you get the ring?” the teen asked, not wanting the conversation to end. It was a long ride upstate. Although, he wasn't really sure what he was asking. He knew Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts were engaged, but shouldn't Tony have already given her the ring? He's pretty sure he had seen media footage of the proposal, wasn't there a ring? Relationships were weird.

\----------------------------------------------

Peter and Mr. Stark had been sat in the lab, working on the schematics for Spider-man suit upgrades together for a few hours now. The time had been filled mostly with the teenage vigilante’s incessant talking about anything and everything under the sun, mostly stories about what he and his friends had gotten up to. Tony had picked up on one frequently recurring character in these stories. The older man caught Peter’s eye as he finished talking about a recent decathlon tournament his school’s team had won.

Turning vaguely red, the boy asked, “What?”

“What’s the deal with this Michelle girl, kid?” Tony inquired, returning his attention to the tablet on the workbench in front of him. 

“Oh, um, s-she’s just a good buddy,” the ‘kid’ stammered out. He was definitely flushing red now.

Stark turned his attention back to Peter with a smirk on his face. “You have a crush on her or something?”

The boy’s eyes widened to the point they threatened to pop out of his head, “What? On M-MJ?” he scoffed and laughed it off nervously, shaking his head so violently his facial features became blurred. “N-no. Definitely not. Never. I mean, she is really smart… and she’s an asset to the decathlon team... I guess she has a nice face… and, well, her eyes are beautiful…” he trailed off, with a dreamy, far-off look plastered on his face as he stared down at the long forgotten plans.

“Yeah. Look kid, if you like her you should just talk to her. You know, like for more than 30 seconds at a time. Take her out to a nice restaurant, or a movie, or a comic-book store, I guess? Is that what you nerd-types are doing these days?” 

Peter drummed the end of his pencil on the corner of the workbench, anxiously. 

After a while, he said, “I don’t really think she likes me that way, Mr. Stark.”

“You’ll never know if you don’t ask her, Pete. Besides, what’s not to like? Geek by day, web-slinging wonderboy by night. Adolescent girls love that sort of thing. Plus,” Tony went on, gesturing towards himself “You have great social connections.”

“I suppose…” the teen replied, skeptically. 

After that, a silence fell between the two as they finished the designs they had been working on. 

But, before Peter left to return to the city with Happy, Tony stopped him at the door.

“Kid, here.” He handed over a shiny black credit hard over.

The boy’s face was wrought with confusion, “Wha-”

“You’re going to ask that Michelle girl out, and take her somewhere nice. On me.”

“But, Mr. Stark! No! I can’t do that!” 

The look on his mentor’s face said that he wasn’t taking no for an answer. He tried to return the card, but he was already being ushered out the door. 

After Peter was a safe distance away, Tony called after the stunned boy, “Text me all the details!”

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Returning home after a great first date with the girl of his teenage dreams, Peter had to admit to himself maybe he had needed Tony Stark’s dating advice after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy you all are enjoying this story so far! I wasn't sure when I had started writing it, as I haven't written a multi-chapter work in a very, very, long time, but with the persuasion of your lovely comments I'm going to keep going lol
> 
> With that said, I have the next few chapters planned out (some thanks to you beautiful people ;)), however I have a very busy week and a half ahead of me. I'm a bit flooded with schoolwork at the moment, but I'm going to try to crank out another chapter as soon as possible. Fair warning: chapter 3 may not be posted until the end of next week. Apologies in advance.
> 
> Please let me know what you think of this latest chapter, and leave any more chapter ideas in the comments as well! I love hearing from you, so please holla at me!
> 
> Thanks for reading! :D Xx


	3. "I'm FINE"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, humans!
> 
> So... I wrote another chapter...   
> I know I said this would be a long-time coming, but the idea just came to me as I was writing a paper this afternoon, and I couldn't let it go to waste, could I? I think you will all agree with me on that. 
> 
> That said, it's a little short because I'm on a tight schedule, but oh well. 
> 
> Anyway, here ya go! Enjoy!

“Have fun! Text me when you get to Ned’s!” Aunt May called through the passenger side window of her car before driving away. Peter turned on the front steps of Flash Thompson’s suburban mansion to wave at her tail-lights as she drove off. 

Turning back to the front door, he took a deep breath. The bass from the music could be heard from down the street by any normal person, which meant Peter could hear it from miles away. Now, standing here so close it felt like the sound waves were rattling his brain, and he hadn’t even entered the house yet, causing him to further regret his decision to come to this party. It was going to be long night. 

Parties were not really Peter’s scene. To be honest, he didn’t really have time for them, or anything typical teenagers did. Between school, homework, and Spider-manning, sometimes it felt like he barely had time for sleeping or eating. Which was exactly why his best-friend, Ned, had insisted he attend this party. Apparently, it was going to be “the party of the year”. Whatever that meant, Peter wasn’t really sure.

Ringing the doorbell seemed useless, because no one with normal hearing would be able to hear it over the blaring stereo system, so mentally reminding himself to “be cool”, he turned the vibrating door handle and stepped inside. Scanning the room for Ned, the teen took in the chaos before him. Everyone was congregated on a makeshift dance floor, all the furniture had haphazardly been pushed against the walls. Those who were not grinding it out in the cramped space were standing awkwardly near the food table. Of course, that is where Peter spotted Ned, grin spreading across his friend’s face at the sight of him. The teen begrudgingly attempted to cross the room without knocking into anyone else.

After doing their secret-handshake, Ned yelled over the music, “I can’t believe you actually came!”

Peter frowned, “Me either, man.”

Before they could say anymore they were interrupted by a loud, “Penis Parker!”

Peter groaned and turned to face his daytime nemesis and tonight’s gracious host “Flash, “ the teen nodded in simple acknowledgement of the other boy.

Flash threw an arm around Peter’s shoulders and led him away from Ned, much to his chagrin. 

“I was not expecting to see you here. I guess that’s just what I get for extending an open invitation. What’s the matter, Penis? Mr. Stark didn’t need you to suck his dick tonight?” Flash taunted as he led the boy towards the drink table. “Now, I think what you and your little loser friend, Nerd, need is to let loose a little, “ the shorter boy released Peter from his surprisingly firm grasp to pluck a beer from the table in front of them and held it towards him. “That is, unless you’re too good for that sort of thing.”

“I’m not ol-” the teen started automatically, then stopped himself, “What do you mean too good? Flash, I hate to break it to you, but I’ve been to tons of parties that were way better than this.” That was a little bit of Spider-man’s inability to back down rearing it’s ugly head. He, still a bit reluctantly, accepted the bottle and twisted the cap off. What could go wrong? It was just one drink, after all. 

Taking a long drink from the bottle in his hand, Peter watched Flash walked off into the crowd on the dancefloor, a bit deflated because Parker has called his bluff.

Ned sidled up next to his friend, taking him in for a minute before asking, a bit in awe, “Dude, what are you doing? If May finds out about this, she’ll kill you, and if that happens, I’ll have to see The Last Jedi alone.”

“Relax, man. It’s just one drink. I’ll be fine, “ he lowered his voice a bit, “Besides, superhumans probably can’t even get drunk, dude.”

So, with that thought in mind, after the first beer Peter chased it with another. 

And another

And another. 

 

Eventually the party began to clear out, however Peter and Ned remained. Much to Ned’s displeasure. 

Peter has somehow managed to become the life of this party, after more than a few beers, much to Flash’s displeasure. Currently, the teen was showing off his gymnastic skills to a crowd of onlookers that remained. 

At the moment he gracefully landed a backflip, his phone starting ringing in his pocket. He walked, or rather stumbled, out of the little ring that had formed around him to heavily lean on the wall, struggling to stay on his feet. Fumbling with the phone, he almost missed the call. First deafening himself with AC/DC’s Shoot to Thrill, eventually he managed to hit the right button. 

Before he could say anything, Tony Stark’s voice sounded through the phone, “Hey, kid. Took you long enough, “ then a pause, “Where are you? Can you turn that music down, please?”

“‘Eyyy! Tony! What is up?!” Peter yelled into the phone, in a very unusually casual, somewhat incoherent, manner. Ned, now at his side, shot him a nervous look. Barely pulling the phone from his ear, he slurred to Ned, “It’s Mr. Stark!”

Tony strained to hear what was being said, but he was sure from what he heard, the kid was not acting like himself. He and Peter had become closer since Peter’s melt-down on the rooftop months ago, but the boy was still a bit starstruck around him, even after all this time. He would never call Tony by his first name, no matter how many times the man had told him it was okay.  
Ned pulled the phone from his friend’s hand, which earned him a slurred “Hey!”, before he walked out the front door to get some quiet.

“Kid?” Stark inquired.

“Er, no, sir. This is Ned Leeds, Mr. Stark. Peter’s friend,” the boy got out, trying not to sound too nervous. Tony Stark was just a person, an insanely rich, famous, and intelligent person, but more importantly at the moment, a person who could help his friend (without grounding him for the rest of his sorry spider life.) 

At this point, Peter somehow managed to stumble his way out the front door to where Ned was standing on the porch.

“Dude,” he doubled-over, trying to collect himself, “I don’t feel so good.”

Before Ned could say anything more to Tony, Peter threw up all over his shoes.

“Bro! Gross!” Ned yelled, before trying to help his friend into a sitting position on the steps. After getting Peter settled, he returned to a shockingly quiet Tony Stark on the phone, “Sorry, Mr. Stark. But, um-”

“Look, kid. What’s going on? Is Peter okay?” the older man sounded more concerned than agitated now. 

“Well, um, not exactly,” Ned squeaked out, peering down at his vomit-covered sneakers. “He’s a little - a little drunk,” he paused, but continued when Stark didn’t say anything, “And he’s supposed to stay over at my house, but Mr. Stark, he’s in no condition to walk there. Not to mention my mom will call May, and well, May will freak out and -”

Tony could hear a garbled, “I’m fine!” in the background. It didn’t sound fine. 

“Enough.” Tony cut him off, the annoyance returning to his voice, “I’m on my way.” And he hung up without another word. 

 

Tony pulled up to the curb, the rev of his engine sounding out of place in the quiet suburban neighborhood. Before he could even get out of the car, he spotted two figures sitting on the porch steps of one of the sleepy little houses on the block. Throwing open the scissor doors of his car and stepping out, the red-solo cups littering the lawn told him he had the right place. The man followed the paved path to the steps, finding a very drunk looking Peter Parker, and a very concerned looking, he could assume, Ned Leeds. 

“So, you screwed the pooch… again,” he stated, matter-o-factly. 

Peter’s drunken high had obviously turned into a drunken stupor as he glared over at his best friend, “Why did you call him?” he asked, subdued, but annoyed. The older man was actually a bit surprised by the disdain in his voice, Peter was never not happy to see him.

“Because at least someone here is responsible,” Tony answered for Ned. “And he didn’t call me, I called you, but you’ve probably had one too many PBRs to remember that.”

“I’m fin-” Peter tried to say, before he was cut off by the remaining contents of his stomach making a reappearance on Flash’s pristine composite steps. 

“Right. Keep telling yourself that, kid,” Tony rolled his eyes. 

Peter threw up a few more times before Ned and his mentor dragged him to his feet and hauled him towards Tony’s expensive vehicle and helped him into the passenger seat. 

“You puke in it, you buy it,” the billionaire commanded before shutting the spaceship-like door.

A muffled, “But Mr. Stark, I’m Fine! I don’t need a ride!” sounded from inside as Tony thanked Ned for his truthfulness and they said their goodbyes.

As Tony got into the vehicle he didn’t so much as look at Peter, who was green and clammy in the passenger’s seat. There was a long silence between them, but Tony felt that it said more than words could. Besides, he would save all the yelling for the morning, when Peter’s first hangover would surely make him never want to drink again. 

Falling asleep on the ride upstate, Peter had wanted to argue more that he didn’t need a ride from Tony, but he was pretty sure that if he tried to speak, he would be the new owner of this car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that wasn't too awful lol
> 
> Now, this time I really think you won't get an update for a few more days. But, hell, if you do, I'm sure you won't be complaining! lol  
> I have the next two chapters planned out, thanks to you lovely people. I just have to write them out, so I'll try to get on that ASAP.
> 
> As always, feel free to leave comments! I love hearing from you!
> 
> Much love Xx


	4. Need a lecture?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Happy Saturday!
> 
> I have another chapter for you, and this one comes from a prompt one of you had suggested to me, so thank you so much! I hope you love it!
> 
> Enjoy! Xx

A loud beeping sound rang throughout the room. Peter rolled over with a groan and groped the floor, finding a shoe to throw at the source. His alarm clock fell off his desk and shattered into a million plastic shards, but at that moment he couldn't be bothered to care, rolling over again and burying himself under his warm blankets.

A few minutes later he was woken again with a loud bang on his door, followed by Aunt May yelling something about him being late. Shit.

Grudgingly, he extricated himself from the comfortable depths of his bed. Moving at a sloths pace, he brushed his teeth, washed his face, and dressed.

Aunt May was making breakfast when he finally made it to the kitchen, she looked over her shoulder to smile at him. Wow, she was way too chipper in the morning.

“You want some breakfast before you leave, baby?” She asked as he gathered his textbooks from the small, living room area and shoved them haphazardly into his backpack -- the seventh one this school year.

“No thanks, I'm going to be late as it is. I'll just grab something when I get to school,” he replied, double-checking he had his suit sufficiently stuffed into the bottom of his satchel.

Throwing his bag over his shoulder, he walked over to kiss his aunt on the cheek, then quickly headed for the door. 

“You see tonight!” He called over his shoulder before slamming the door behind him.

\----

When he got to school, the late bell for first period was already ringing and he had missed homeroom completely. Forgetting about even going to throw his bag in his locker, let alone eating anything, he ran to his first class.

“Late again, Mr. Parker? One more tardy and I'll have to give you a detention.” His English teacher, Mrs. Walters, stated as she glared over the rims of her glasses.

Peter shrunk into his seat at the back of the class and tried to pay attention. It was going to be a long day.

\---

At lunch, Peter sat bent over a textbook, trying to finish last night’s biology homework. Usually, he would've done it either before patrol, or on patrol if it were an especially boring night, but it hadn't been. Spider-man had stopped three muggings, two grand-theft autos, a drug deal, and helped a forgetful grandma find her way back home. All-in-all, that was a busy night. The masked vigilante hadn't found the solace of Peter’s bedroom until around 3am. At that time, he tried to do as much of his homework as he could, but it seemed all of his teachers had assigned as much as they could just to make his life miserable.

The teen was just finishing the last question as the bell rang to dismiss lunch, before he had even thought about actually eating anything. Oh well, he'd just pick something up before patrol.

\---

After school, on his way to Delmar’s, Peter heard a scream which had him changing into his Spidey suit and swinging towards the scene of the crime in a flash. When he got there, it was just your typical mugging. He caught the guy running off with the woman’s purse and webbed him to a parking meter before the thug even made it down the block. He left the perpetrator there for NYPD to deal with and returned the woman her purse.

From then, he saved a little girl's cat from a tree, stopped a high speed chase, and put an end to any number of other petty crimes.

Around 4am, Spider-man climbed through his window, exhausted. Sometime throughout the night he was pretty sure he had had his ribs broken and all he wanted to do was sleep for a few days, but he couldn't because he had to research and write an English paper. Now, where had he put his backpack? 

\---

This cycle continued all week. Peter felt lucky he had enough time to breathe. His teachers kept assigning more and more work, and New York’s criminals kept committing more and more crimes. Spider-man was all over the news because somehow he had stopped more crimes than the police, something NYPD was less than thrilled about.

All day, he had been feeling like he had been beat up, which he had, just not on this particular day. Yet. The boy felt as though a weight had been lifted when the dismissal bell rang on Friday. 

He said a quick, “See ya, Monday!” to Ned before heading out the front doors to meet the black Audi parked at the curb.

The first words out of Happy’s mouth when he slid into the back seat were, “Kid, you look like shit. Rough week?”

Peter was a bit taken aback, Happy had never shown concern for his well-being before. Did he really look that bad? 

“Um, yeah. Just super busy, ya know?”

Happy stared at him in the rear view mirror for a minute as he pulled out of the school parking lot, looking skeptical. The teen shrunk down in his seat under the man’s gaze.

He just let it go though, “Make sure you tell the Boss that. He's gonna think I'm not looking out for you, or something.”

\---

Somewhere between leaving Midtown and arriving at the top-secret, state-of-the-art Avengers facility, Peter really began to feel the effects of the week hit him.

His head had begun pounding, and he was pretty sure he could feel his brain throbbing against his skull. The lack of sleep was also catching up to him, but he couldn't even think about sleeping with the way his head hurt. His lips and mouth were also starting to feel like the Sahara desert, but Peter tried to ignore it all. He had to get through the rest of the evening with Mr. Stark, then he could go home and sleep for the rest of the weekend. That's all this was. Sleep deprivation. He'd be fine after a good night’s rest.

\---

As Happy parked outside the main housing complex on the compound, Peter tried to compose himself and collect his belongings. Saying a quick goodbye to the driver, he stepped out of the car. A violent wave of dizziness hit the teen from the sudden vertical movement, making him brace himself against the vehicle as he tried to blink it off. Collecting himself, he made his way into the building, asking FRIDAY where he could find Mr. Stark.

He entered the laboratory to find Tony already tinkering with yet another Iron Man suit. Even if he hadn't been feeling so out of it at the moment he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to remember what MK this one was.

Tony didn't even bother to look up from his work as he heard Peter shuffle in, “What's up, kid? How was school?”

The teen didn't answer right away. He had dropped his book bag on the floor, and was now standing braced against one of the workbenches to keep himself upright as another wave of dizziness washed over him.

Noting the unusual silence from one Peter Parker, Tony threw a glance over his shoulder at the teen. He was on his feet and next to the boy in seconds after taking him in. Scrutinizing eyes looked the boy up and down, and he looked like shit.

“What happened to you, kid?” the older man asked with a concern-laced voice.

“It’s nothing. I'm okay,” Peter brushed him off simply, reaching down for his bag, “I think the suit-” he cut himself off as he stumbled forward before landing hard on the floor.

“Woah, Pete,” Tony offered the obviously impaired boy a hand and pulled him back to his feet, clamping a firm hand on his shoulder to steady him, “Maybe you should just sit down for a second.” He led him to a stool, and made him sit.

Peter turned a shade of pink, “I’m sorry, Mr. Stark. I don't know what came over me,” the boy apologized, looking hard at the floor with his sunken in eyes in a failing attempt to make the spinning stop.

“Just take it easy, kid. Maybe I should have Happy drive you home. We could always do this another day.”

“No, no, no. I'm fine. I'm good. I swear, Mr. Stark,” the teen argued.

Tony sighed, his face still wrought with concern. He knew Peter wouldn't back down on this though, so he let it go. “Fine. Don't overexert yourself. ‘Coroner called to Avengers Facility’,’Dead Teen Found in Stark Industries Lab.’ Yikes, I can see all the bad publicity now.”

The boy turned a deeper shade of red at that, but laughed a little. 

So, with that Tony returned to what he was doing, but continually stole a sneaky glance towards his protégé. The kid looked like hell and Tony wondered if this was all becoming too much for him. After all, being a full-time child genius, and part time masked hero couldn't be easy. Most fifteen year olds had trouble balancing math homework and soccer practice, but Peter had so much more on his plate. Even though time and time again Tony had told him he didn't have to do all of it all the time, Peter was so determined to make a difference though. He really was an exceptional kid.

The older man was pulled from his thoughts when a thud sounded from somewhere behind him, disrupting the quiet that had unusually settled over the room. 

\---

Peter tossed over, but was jolted awake by a painful tugging sensation in his hand. His eyes shot open, and he was blinded by the bright lights in a room that was not his own. Once his eyes adjusted, he glanced around the room in an attempt to figure where the hell he was. It was definitely a medical facility of some kind, that was plainly evident by the pristine whiteness of it all, not to mention the many machines he was attached to. What had happened? He couldn't remember.

His attention snapped towards the doorway as a tired looking Tony Stark walked into the room. 

“Mr. Stark?” he croaked, his voice felt like sandpaper leaving his throat.

Tony looked over at the boy, surprised to see him awake. “Oh hey, Sleeping Beauty, you're awake. I should go get Ma-”

“What happened?” Peter cut him off, sounding so young and scared.

“You collapsed, kid,” his mentor stated, “Because apparently you haven't been eating, or drinking, or even sleeping. You know, those things that all of us normal people have to do regularly, but you should do ten-fold because you're a growing teen, and also a ‘superhuman’, for lack of a better word.”

“Oh,” the teenage superhuman replied, refusing to look at Tony.

“Yeah, ‘oh’. What's going on, Peter? Are the nightmares back?”

“No. I've just been busy.” It wasn't a lie. It's not like He had planned this, or done it intentionally. So, he'd missed a few meals and not gotten a full 8 hours, he didn't think it was enough to cause him to collapse.

“Busy?” Tony asked skeptically.

Peter nodded, still avoiding looking at the man.

“Too busy to take care of yourself? Listen, if this whole Spider-man thing is getting too much for you, kiddo, you could stop.”

“What?!” Ouch, raising his voice still hurt, “No. Mr. Stark. Please, it's not too much. It's fine. It's just enough, even.”

“Okay, fine, relax, kid.” He put his hands up to stop the onslaught of reassurances,” I'm only implying that if you wanted to stop, you could at any time. Or, maybe take a few nights off. Queens will survive, trust me. But if you keep this up, you won't, and you're my responsibility.”

“I’m fine. I was overwhelmed a little this week.”

“I can understand that, but I'm still going to be checking up on you more, personally, now. And last week. You've been out all weekend.”

“What?” Peter groaned.

“Yeah, well that's what happens when you go all Ghandi.” Tony shrugged.

Sensing that their heart-to-heart was over, Tony left to retrieve May. And after her lecture, Peter was sure he needed someone checking up on him, because he never wanted to endure that again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you think in the comments!
> 
> Have a Great Week!


	5. Much Needed Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> Sorry this chapter took so long to post, but I hope it is worth the wait! I'm going to try to have the last chapter up by the middle of this upcoming week, so stay tuned.
> 
> This chapter came from a prompt one of you submitted to me, so I hope it lives up to expectation!
> 
> Enjoy! Xx

“Miss, you don't have to do this! Please, just give me your hand!” 

The cold wind rushed around the masked vigilante as he clung to the bridge railing with his hand outstretched toward a young woman standing just beyond him, dangerously close to the ledge.

She was petite, with long straight brown hair, and she reminded him so much of his aunt.

“You don't know me! I have to do this!” She called back, defiantly.

“You don’t! You're young, you have so much to live for, people who love you I'm sure. Please, just talk to me.” Peter pleaded, carefully jumping the railing, inching ever so slightly closer to the woman.

She shot him a glare, only then did he notice the tears streaking down her cheeks, “Don't come any closer!”

He paused, “Okay, okay,” holding his hands up as a sign of surrender, “but tell me why you are doing this?”

“Why? What's it you? I don't even know you.” She turned her gaze back to the likely frigid waters of the Hudson below.

“I'm Spi -” he stopped and thought it over for a second, “My name is Peter, what's yours?”

She looked back at him, calculatingly taking in the boy in the suit. “I’m…. Emily.”

“It's very nice to meet you, Emily. Will you please tell me what you're doing out here?” Peter asked, shooting a shaky glance at the river below. He had been weary of the thing since Toomes had dropped him in it all those months ago. Being out here on this bridge actually made him extremely uneasy, but this woman needed him, so here he was.

She broke down then, the tears coming more freely, and she swayed slightly with the wind. Peter took it as an opportunity to inch closer to her. The bridge shook slightly with the traffic passing just beyond the railing and the wind whipping through the night sky. 

“I just lost my h-husband. He was everything to me, the only f-family I had left. I can't d-do this without him.”

That struck a chord with Peter. He knew all too well what it was like to lose the people closest to you. 

“I'm so sorry to hear that,” and his apology was genuine, “but Emily, I'm sure he wouldn't want you to do this. He loved you. He'd want you to keep on living, for him.”

“I c-can't! I can't do this without him! I-I'm sorry, Peter!”

Before Peter even knew what was happening, the woman leapt out into the air. He made a failed attempt to lunge towards her, shooting a web to catch her, but she was plummeting faster than the web could reach her. 

Attaching himself to the bridge with a web, he caught a glimpse of her sad, yet serene expression bathed in the moonlight moments before she disappeared into the black waters below. It was an image that would stick with him for some time.

\---

Returning home that night, Peter found himself shaken. He did something he hadn't done in years. After peeling off the suit and changing into some sleep clothes, he dragged himself down the hallway and into May’s bedroom. Looking up from her book when he entered the room, she didn't ask any questions as he climbed into bed with her. Tears littered the teen’s face, and May offered a comforting embrace. 

“I couldn't save her,” was the only muffled explanation she was offered, through his raw sobs.

\---

May extracted herself from her bed the next morning, careful not to wake the teen snoring softly beneath the covers. It had taken hours for him to fall asleep, and the tears still stained his face.

Padding her way into the living room as noiselessly as possible, she quietly flipped on the television as she pulled out her phone. There were reports of a woman’s body being pulled from the river playing on the morning news. She wondered if perhaps that had been the cause of her baby’s anguish as she dialed a contact she hoped she would never have to use.

“Hello, Mr. Stark?”

\---

Tony showed up the the apartment around 3pm. Peter answered the door, his eyes still puffy from a night of crying. Aunt May had left him stay home from school to sleep in because he had been up most of the night.

“Mr. Stark?” he questioned, his voice hoarse with sleepiness, “What -um- w-what are you doing here?”

“Hey, kid. I was just in the neighborhood. Thought I would stop by to see you and Aunt Hottie,” Tony answered smoothly, not giving away the fact that May had called him because this situation was a little out of her realm of expertise. She knew how to console her kid through loss; Hell, she was almost a pro at it by now, just not when it was someone he didn't even know and couldn't possibly blame himself for not saving. This was a problem that needed a Stark Solution, as she had put it on the phone that morning.

“Uh, Aunt May’s not home, but you can come in,” the teen lead the way into the living room, taking a heavy seat on the couch. Tony sat on the opposite side of the sofa, looking very out-of-place wearing a fine Italian-made suit in the Parker’s homey little Queens apartment. An awkward silence filled the room. Peter stared blankly at whatever old black-and-white sitcom was playing on the TV.

He was only brought out of his trance when Tony cleared his throat.

“Oh, um, sorry, Mr. Stark. Would you like coffee or something?”

“No, kid. It's fine. Relax.”

More silence. Small talk wasn't something either one of them did very well. Tony was here on a mission, but he couldn't come right out and say that without letting the cat out of the bag that Aunt Hottie had called him.

“So, how’s Spider-man doing? No more weapons for outer-space?”

Peter’s expression turned sullen at the mention of his alter-ego. 

“It's, well, it's- ” his voice cracked a little and he quickly looked away so Tony couldn't see his face, “it's great.”

The images of the woman, Emily, falling into the black abyss flashed before his eyes. His face suddenly felt hot, his eyes beginning to prickle with fresh tears. 

Tony didn't push it immediately, the kid was obviously disturbed by whatever had transpired the previous night. 

He turned back to face his mentor after a few moments with fresh tears streaking down his face.

“Last night,” he started, his voice rough, “this woman, Emily, she-” he was cut off as a sob escaped his lips. It took a moment for him to be capable of speaking again, but the tears didn't stop flowing, “I couldn't save her, Mr. Stark. I couldn't stop her. She just-”

He looked down at his hands, avoiding the older man's gaze. To Tony, he looked so vulnerable and young, here, sat on his Aunt’s couch in his Star Wars t-shirt and Captain America (ouch) pajama pants. He didn't look like the type of kid who went around beating up some of New York’s toughest criminals on a nightly basis. He didn't look like someone who had endured so much loss already in his short 15 years. But he did, and he had. He was Spider-man, and there was no saving him from the kind of baggage that came with the job.

Tony knew all too well what it felt like to lose the same people you were trying to protect. The thought of it now made his heart break for the kid. He was so hell-bent on saving everyone, but Tony knew from experience that in trying to save the world, you sacrifice a bit of yourself with every person you cannot protect. Peter shouldn’t have to go through something like that. He was supposed to be low-profile, close-to-the-ground, friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man.

Getting up to move closer to the kid on the couch, Tony put an arm around his shoulders. Peter gratefully leaned into the embrace.

“Kid, you can’t save them all. No matter how hard you try. There are going to be days when this happens, but you can’t let it get to you. You have to move past it. This woman, that’s what she wanted. So, while it’s sad and it hurts, you just have to remember that she’s in a better place. You couldn’t save her, but for every person you can’t save, there are probably ten others that you will save. That’s why you keep going.”

When Tony finished speaking, silence fell over the room, only broken by the occasional sniffle from the boy sat next to him. 

Peter didn’t say anything else, he had heard what he needed to hear. And that night he returned to patrol, where he saved a little girl from a burning apartment. He never let what had happened that night on the bridge escape his memory, instead he used the memory of Emily to ensure he would try harder to save every person he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, one more chapter!
> 
> I am so thankful for the support you all have shown me on this! With that said, I can't wait to be done with it lol. I hope to have the final chapter up sooner rather than later.
> 
> I'm working on a few Pepperony one-shots that I may or may not post, as well as some more Spider fics.
> 
> Please leave some comments as I love hearing from you all!
> 
> Enjoy your weekend!


	6. Unlikely Advice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, babes!
> 
> Here it is, the final installment!
> 
> Enjoy! Xx

Peter stopped in front of the swanky looking cafe and suddenly wondered if he should have worn something nicer for coffee with his mentor. He should’ve known that even a cup of coffee could be a black-tie affair when Mr. Stark was involved.

Opening the door and stepping inside, he paused to look for the older man. Spying him in a corner booth, he walked over to join him.

Unceremoniously sliding into the booth, Peter said, “Hi, Mr. Stark.”

“Oh hey, kid,” he said prying his eyes away from his Stark phone and placing it to the side to give Peter his full attention. “How was school?”

“Pretty average. Ya know, history test, lit essay, chem lab,” The teen shrugged.

Before either could say any more, a pretty waitress not much older than Peter came to take their order. The boy flushed under her overly-friendly, borderline flirtatious gaze, as Tony ordered them both something foreign and expensive sounding.

“So, kiddo,” Tony started after the girl had hurried off to get their order, “I have something to ask of you.”

“Sure, Mr. Stark. Anything. Is it another mission? Because I know I said I wanted to stay close to the ground, you know, friendly neighborhood Spider-man and all that, but I’m always willing to help out on missions. And I can totally handle a solo mission.” Peter replied enthusiastically. He was practically bouncing in his seat with excitement. Maybe this kid didn’t need coffee.

Tony chuckled, holding up his hands to stop the teen from going on at an almost supersonic speed. “Woah, woah, woah. Take it down a notch,” Peter visibly tried to contain himself as the man sat across from him continued, “It’s not a mission.” The boy further deflated. 

“Well, what is it then, Mr.Stark?” There was now a nervous edge to his voice that hadn't been there seconds before. Suddenly, he was forced to rethink every remotely reckless and stupid thing he had done recently. Was Mr. Stark about to lecture him? What had he done that could’ve warranted a trip all the way into the city just to see him? He must be in deep shit.

Tony removed his signature sunglasses to look the boy I the eyes. This must be serious, oh no.

The older man took a deep breath, “Peter,” His full name, “will you-”

He wa cut off by the pretty blonde waitress returning with their orderShe nervousness ply placed the clattering glasses before the before pointedly looking at Peter and asking if they needed anything else. Had those blouse buttons been undone before?

The teen stammered out a quiet “No.” As Tony simply replied with an annoyed sounding “No, thank you.” Before the girl retreated, throwing another glance over her shoulder at the teen.

“Oh, to be young.” Mr. Stark said, getting Peter’s attention again, “As I was saying,” he continued, “would you like to be one of my groomsman?I would have asked you to be my best man, but Rhodey thought he was entitled to that position. You were my second choice, just don’t tell anyone that. Personally, I feel the whole wedding thing is a bit overrated, but Pepper wants a big ceremony with a white dress and the whole deal. Women, you know? Of course your aunt is invited, and you can bring a date, that Michelle girl you go on and on about if you’d lik-”

“I'd be honored,” Peter said to stop Mr. Stark’s rambling. The teen had gotten the impression Tony was so nervous about asking him because Pepper had been planning the whole wedding for months now,but Mr. Stark didn’t have a lot of people to invite, especially since Berlin. Peter had come to realize that it was lonely being at the top. Still, he thought it was nice that Mr. Stark would ask him, and he would be more than happy to do it. Tony was the father figure in his life, and the teen adored Ms. Potts.

“You will? Oh. Good then. I’ll tell Pepper,” the older man said, trying to play it cool, although his relieved expression betrayed him.

—- 

“Bond. James Bond.” Peter said into his mirror in his best Sean Connery impression, complete with lame finger guns and a wink. With his brown curls slicked back and wearing the custom fitted tuxedo Mr. Stark had bought him, the teen thought he looked really smart. Maybe this whole wedding thing would be kinda fun after all. 

“Mr. Bond, we’re going to be late if we don’t leave now! We have to pick up Michelle, and you’re part of the wedding party so you have to arrive early!” May called before stopping in the doorway of his bedroom as she adjusted her bangles. “You look so handsome,” she cooed, “my little boy is all grown up! Really, maybe you should shop with your buddy Tony Stark more often.”

May had also cleaned up pretty well. She wore a dark blue wrap dress with black tights and sparkly silver heels. This fashion choice had taken her weeks and plenty of rhetorical, “what do you wear to a billionaire's wedding?” questions.

Peter laughed, “Yeah, I’m sure he has a lot of time for that between saving the world and running a huge tech company. You look really pretty, Aunt May.” This was the first time since Ben’s funeral he had seen her this dressed up. Working all the time, she didn’t have as much time to go out anymore. Peter felt a twinge of guilt remembering how much she used to love getting dolled up to go to the theater or dinner with Ben.

He forgot about it as his aunt offered him a genuine smile and held out her arm to him.

—-

The press were wrapped around the block, and traffic had actually been stopped from entering certain streets in Midtown because media outlets from all across the globe had shown up to cover the historic Stark wedding. Thankfully, it had been arranged that a driver would pick up May, Peter, and MJ, so of course they were dropped off at the Plaza’s front door, and escorted inside quickly by security. Tony had rented the entire hotel, just to ensure that no uninvited wedding-crashers would turn up to the event. Pepper had thought this to be ridiculous, but now after seeing the media turn out, she thought maybe it hadn’t been such a bad idea after all. Eccentric, but not crazy. 

Once inside, the extravagance of it all was overwhelming. The lobby was teeming with people; florists, caterers, photographers, guests, and the like. It appeared that in planning Ms. Potts had spared no expense, then again, why should she? She was about to become the better-half of one of the world’s most wealthy men. 

Standing near the elevators, Happy caught Peter’s eye and beckoned him and his small entourage of MJ and May over. Exchanging pleasantries with the girls, Happy kept giving Peter the “we need to have a conversation” look. 

After a minute Peter cut in, “So, uh, I’m going to go see Mr. Stark. You know, wish him good luck or whatever. I’ll see you in there.” He kissed May on the cheek and awkwardly clapped MJ on the shoulder.

He then stepped into an empty elevator with Happy. As the doors closed Happy asked, “Kid, do you have the suit?” Peter looked at him wide-eyed with a confused expression, but nodded none-the-less, pulling his sleeve back to reveal the red spandex. “Good. You might need it,” stated the bodyguard turned babysitter. Was it just Peter, or did the man sound more annoyed than usual?

—

Stepping off the elevator, Happy led them down a long hallway, somewhere in the distance Peter could hear a loud banging and briefly wondered why the hotel would be doing construction today, and how Pepper had let them get away with it. As they drew nearer, he understood.

“Tony! If you don’t open this fuc-“ Colonel Rhodes stopped mid-sentence and ceased pounding on the door before him as Happy and Peter came into view.

“No luck?” Happy asked exasperatedly.

“No,” Rhodey replied, “but if he doesn’t OPEN THE DAMN DOOR, I’M CALLING PEPPER!” Still nothing. “Oh, hey kid. Good to see you again,” he continued, noticing Peter standing there awkwardly. The teen had met Rhodes a couple of times before at the Avengers compound. 

“Colonel,” Peter nodded, “um, what’s going on?”

“Well, you see, Peter, our dear friend Anthony Edward Stark, billionaire, philanthropist, Iron Man, seems to have cold feet,” the man said, running a tired hand over his face. “Pep is gonna be pissed.”

“Actually, I had an idea,” Happy said, peering hopefully over at Peter who shrunk under his gaze.

—

Soon, Peter found himself clinging to the side of the building overlooking Central Park, clad in head-to-toe formal attire complete with Spider-Man mask and web shooters. Were weddings always this weird?

He quickly crawled over to the window of Tony’s suite and knocked. “Mr. Stark? It’s me.”

Within seconds the window slid open and none other than Tony Stark stuck his head out, “Kid, what the hell are you doing out there?”

“I came to talk.”

The older man stepped away from the window so the masked teen could climb inside. He then asked, “Did Rhodey put you up to this?”

Peter only shrugged, removing the mask. He noticed that Mr. Stark was wearing an AC/DC t-shirt and MIT sweats. The man looked very disheveled. It wasn’t a bad outfit, but it also wasn’t something he would wear to his wedding. 

“Mr. Stark, uh, you know you’re supposed to be getting married in,” he looked at his watch, “about two hours, right?”

“Yeah, Kid. I know.” there was a hint of anxiety hidden behind the annoyance in his tone.

“Is that what you’re wearing?” Peter asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Tony laughed a little, “No, kid.”

“Oh good!” The boy said, feigning relief,”I mean, it’s very nice and all, but I don’t think Ms. Potts would like to look down the aisle to see that.”

“I don’t remember you being such a smartass.” Tony looked at him scrutinizingly, “I must really be rubbing off on you.”

Peter laughed. 

Silence fell between the two for a moment before the teen asked, “So, Mr. Stark, why are you locked in here?”

Tony offered a breathy laugh, “You wouldn’t get understand.”

“Try me.” Peter said defiantly.

“Kid,” he sighed, “you couldn’t understand. You’re a child, “ that earned a glare from the kid and Tony held his hands up in surrender, “I’m sorry. A teen. You’ve never been kept up at night worrying about whether or not the woman next to you loves you for you, or if god forbid she does, agonizing over how to her safe and happy for the rest of your sorry life. You don’t know what it’s like to feel responsible for someone else. You haven’t laid there thinking about how incredible she is and knowing that you’ll never quite be good enough for her. Peter, I’m sorry, but you can’t really understand what any of that is like. You’re just too young, you don’t have that kind of life experience yet.” When he finished speaking he had this painfully anxious look on his face.

Peter shrugged again, “So maybe I don’t. But I do know one thing, Mr. Stark, and it’s that Ms. Potts loves you very much, and she wants to marry you. We wouldn’t be here right now if she didn’t. And I also know that if you don’t go through with this it’s going to break her heart, because she really, really loves you, Mr. Stark. I can see it in the way she looks at you,” the boy smiled fondly then, “because it’s the exact same way my aunt used to look at my uncle Ben, and they were the happiest couple I have ever known.”

Peter walked over to the wardrobe where Tony’s tux was hanging on the door, he lifted it off and held it out towards the man, “So, what do you say, Mr. Stark?”

—

The ceremony went off without a hitch. Pepper looked absolutely stunning in her sleek a-line Vera Wang gown, and Iron Man may have even shed a tear at the sight of her, and War Machine may never let him live it down.

During the reception, Tony cornered Peter alone at the dessert table as Pepper was mingling with her family. He proceeded to abruptly pull the teen into a surprise hug without a car door in sight. 

“Thank you, Peter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that’s a wrap! 
> 
> Not your typical angst-filled 5+1 ending, but I don’t play by anyone’s rules lol
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> This is really how I hope Infinity War plays out, why fight Thanos when you can just have a wedding? Lol, Team Cap could show up and crash, chaos ensues. It would be way better than any space war lol
> 
> I have a few other works in progress. I’m not sure that I will post them all because I don’t know how into Pepperony the public is anymore lol, but we shall see, I guess.
> 
> Also, if you guys have anything you would like to see me write, I’d be more than happy to try and take a stab at it. A few of you have already given me some ideas for future fics, so thanks for that, and any others you have you can leave in the comments!
> 
> Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think! Xx

**Author's Note:**

> So, I was thinking this would be a 5+1 (as the title implies), but I am a stressed-out, busy, sleep-deprived college student. Therefore, I'm going to do the best that I can.
> 
> With that said, I'm still looking for ideas for the subsequent chapters, so feel free to leave any you may have in the comments, or you can find me on tumblr as I'm a little more active on there (my blog is called teamunderoos)
> 
> Thanks again for reading! If you enjoyed, or even if you didn't, please leave a comment or a kudos! I love to hear from you all! Xx


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